Texans ratify amendments; Tom Green County election turnout low

SAN ANGELO — Texans ratified all seven proposed constitutional amendments Tuesday, but the election proved far less enticing than last November's.

No statewide offices were up for grabs, and congressional and legislative elections are still a year away.

Of Tom Green County's approximately 64,000 registered voters, 2,903 people (4.53%) voted, according to elections office records. Elections Administrator Vona Hudson said 804 of those ballots were cast during the 10 days of early voting.

Last November 39,069 ballots were cast to decide a new president, representatives and other races, according to Tom Green County election records.

“There are very few voters making decisions for all the registered voters in our county,” Hudson said. “But I’m pleased that many people are braving the cold and showing up to vote on Election Day.”

The seven amendments range from issues related to property tax exemptions for disabled veterans to reducing restrictions on Texans borrowing against equity in their homes.

Records show the Texas Legislature has proposed 673 constitutional amendments, with 491 approved by voters, 179 defeated and three failing to make the ballot.

These are the unofficial final voting results released by the Tom Green County elections office at 9:35 p.m.:

Proposition 1: Would create more opportunities for disabled veterans or their spouses to qualify for local property tax breaks.

For — 2,460 (86.01%)

Against — 400 (13.99%)

Proposition 2: Would lower the amount of expenses charged to people seeking home equity loans and would also remove some of the existing fees. The measure would also allow farmers and ranchers to obtain home equity loans without jeopardizing the local tax breaks associated with agriculture and ranching property.

For — 2,080 (73.65%)

Against — 744 (26.35%)

Proposition 3: Would modify Texas’ longstanding “holdover provision,” which allows people appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate to the various boards and commissions that run state government to remain in office long after their term has expired because no one has been appointed to replace them.

For — 2,469 (86.57%)

Against — 383 (13.43%)

Proposition 4: Would allow the Legislature to require that any court that is hearing a suit that is challenging the constitutionality of a state law notify the Texas attorney general. The measure would also allow the Legislature to require the court to reach a decision on the constitutional challenge within 45 days of notifying the attorney general.

For — 2,132 (74.73%)

Against — 721 (25.27%)

Proposition 5: Would expand the list of professional sports teams in Texas that are allowed to do raffles to benefit charitable causes.

For — 1,636 (57.73%)

Against — 1,198 (42.27%)

Proposition 6: Would allow surviving spouses of first responders who died in the line of duty to get a break on all or part of the market values of their homesteads, providing the survivors have not remarried.

For — 2,407 (83.9%)

Against — 462 (16.1%)

Proposition 7: Would allow “credit unions and other financial institutions” to award prizes based on luck as a means to promote savings account. This would allow the institutions to gain an exemption from the general law that prohibits – except in the case of the Texas Lottery – prizes from being awarded in games of chance.

For — 1,721 (60.47%)

Against — 1,125 (39.53%)

Those numbers were well aligned with statewide numbers, which are available at votetexas.gov.